Illuminated display apparatus



March 3%, 1937, R. L. MART-EN ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS Filed July6, 1956- INVENTOR. Rn YMOND L. MHRTEN ATTORNEY.

i atented Mar. 30, 1937 2,075,764 ILLUMINATED DISPLAY APPARATUS RaymondL. Marten,

Crystal Electric Sign St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Company, St. Louis,Mo.,

a corporation of Missouri Application July 6,

1 Claim.

My invention relates to illuminated display apparatus, and moreparticularly to an improved changeable attraction board or sign which isespecially well suited for use in connection with ,3 theatres or thelike, wherein the entertainment is periodically changed.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved electricallyilluminated sign which furnishes a highly attractive display ofadvertising or other informative media when illuminated either byartificial or natural light; which is designed and constructed to permitof the display characters being easily and quickly removed and replacedwhen a change of the display is desired,

and which is economical of manufacture and use.

These and other objects and advantages will be hereinafter explained bythe following description and accompanying drawing setting forth severalpresently preferred embodiments of my invention.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a signconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional Viewtaken at the line Z-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 315 an enlarged sectional viewillustrating one form of means for attaching the removable characters tothe refleeting plates; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through adouble face sign constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 5 isa plan view of one of the reflecting members of the sign illustrated inFig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a character havingmeans of another type for attaching the same to reflecting plates. InFigs. 4 and 5, the reflecting plates are adapted 5 to receive charactershaving attaching means of the type illustrated in Fig. 6.

In my improved sign, the display characters, which are preferably formedof opaque material, are mounted in front of a highly illuminatedbackground which is constituted by a series of obliquely disposed platesarranged in vertical sequence. Light from a series of luminous dischargetubes are reflected by the plates toward the observer to silhouette thecharacters and produce a striking display thereof. The luminous tubesare shielded by the reflecting plates to prevent observers fromobtaining a direct view of the tubes. The reflecting plates tend toreduce the glare normally accompanying direct illumination by dischargetubes and produce a brilliant,

yet softly lighted background for the display characters which does notdiscomfort the observer.

One of the outstanding features of the signs constructed in accordancewith my invention is the pleasing lighting effect produced by the series1936, Serial No. 88,983

of reflecting plates. minated background is The appearance of theilluthat of a series of parallel horizontally extending bands of lightwhich are manifest by a high inten the lower margin of each sity of thelight near band, the lighting intensity diminishing gradually toward theupper margin of each band.

This results from the fact that the lower portion of each reflectingplate is located nearer to per portion of such plate.

By reason of the high produced on scribed, the being made up of a seriesthe light source than the uplights and low lights the reflecting platesas thus debackground has the appearance of of parallel closely adjacentcylindrical surfaces.

Referring now by numerals of reference to the drawing, my improved signcomprises an upright panel l0 which in tutes the forward wall of thepresent example constian enclosing structure for electrical conductors(not shown), transformer l2, and any other electrical apparatus foroperating the discharge tubes.

Mounted on the front reflectors l3, each thereo plates which extendhorizontally across of panel Ill. The reflector face of panel ill arethe f comprising elongate the face plates l3 are disposed in parallel,uniformly spaced relation, and each thereof is disposed obliquely withrespect to the plane of the backing panel ID.

in any suitable manner, U

are secured to panel II) as by means of rivets M The plates l3 whichextend through the panel and lower marginal flanges i5 of the plates l3.

Additional securing means for the 'l 6 disposed the plates where theshadows cast thereby will not detract from the appearance of the sign.

The upper horizontal rolled over, as best a bead I! which is adaptedappears edge of each plate i3 is in Fig. 3, to provide to be gripped byspring clips Hi, to be hereinafter described, secured to the letters orcharacters The front face of panel rear faces of plates l3 are l9. l0,and both front and provided with suitable reflecting surfaces,preferably formed by coating the said faces with layers of whitevitreous enamel.

Thus the rear faces of t he plates l3, and the front face of the backingplate Iii, reflect the light from the discharge tubes the light castdirectly upon upwardly to augment the front faces of the plates whichprovide the background for the characters Ill.

The luminous discharge or other suitable gas sired color, extend horizotubes, containing neon to produce light of the dentally across the faceof the sign, and each tube is located near the lower edge of thereflecting plate which it serves to illuminate.

The tubes may extend into end enclosures, designated 2i and have theirelectrodes and electrical connections protected by such end enclosures.In signs of relatively great width, the tubes may have angularly bentterminal portions Which extend backwardly through suitable openings inthe panel i 8. Suitable insulating supports are provided for the tubes,and are indicated at 2|.

The removable and interchangeable letters or characters I9 are formed ofsheet metal or cardboard and have a surface coating of black paint toenhance their contrast with the illuminated background. The spring clips[8 are secured as by riveting to the characters. The clips are producedfrom strips of resilient metal each thereof being bent to provide abacking portion 22 and a tongue portion 23 for clamping the bead I!therebetween. The backing portion 22 of the spring clip extends at anangle to the plane of the character, as shown in Fig. 3, to enable thecharacter with which it is associated to be firmly supported in avertical plane when mounted on the oblique reflecting plates. That thedescribed means for attaching the characters to the plates allows thesame to be quickly and easily removed and replaced is believed to beapparent.

For the purpose of relieving the troughs, formed between plates [3 andpanel N3, of rain water, suitable discharge openings 24 are provided inthe plates l3. These openings permit water to drain from the troughs,for ultimate discharge from the sign, through opening 25 in the bottomWall of the sign.

If desired, the sign previously described may be constructed without thebacking panel In, relatively narrow, vertically extending strips ofmetal, such as strips of angle iron, being used in place of the backingpanel for supporting the oblique reflecting plates. The suggestedalternate construction is less expensive to manufacture and avoids thepresence of water-, and dirtcollecting troughs, but is less desirablefrom the standpoint of attractiveness because of the absence of thelight reflecting surface provided by the backing panel.

In the double face sign illustrated in section, Fig. 4, the reflectingplates comprise elongate troughs which are preferably V-shaped in crosssection, both inner and outer surfaces of such troughs being renderedlight reflecting by the application of white or other suitably coloredenamel. Drainage openings are provided in the bottom of the troughs.

The outer oblique surfaces of the troughs which provide the backgroundfor the characters are preferably illuminated by a series of dischargetubes arranged in pairs, as shown in Fig. 4. If desired, a single tubemay be employed for lighting both sides of each horizontal section, inwhich construction the tubes are located in the medial plane of thedouble face sign, near the lower extremities of the troughs as thebroken line showing of the tubes (Fig. 4) indicates.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 also illustrate alternate means for removably attachingthe characters 26 to the reflecting plates. The reflecting plates areprovided with flanges 21 each having a series of regularly spacedapertures 28. The characters are provided with brackets 29 havingdownwardly extending pins 36 which are adapted to be inserted in .theflange apertures 28. On characters of substantial width, such as theletters H and .employing a plurality of laterally spaced mounting pins30, such pins are suitably spaced apart to register with a plurality ofthe flange apertures 28.

I have described and illustrated my invention with reference to severalpresently preferred embodiments thereof, but it is to be understood thatvarious changes may be made in the parts and their arrangement withoutdeparting from the spirit and full intended scope of my invention asdefined by the appended claim.

I claim:

A sign of the type described comprising a vertical series of elongate,horizontally extending reflector plates, uniformly spaced and disposedin inclined, relatively parallel planes, sign characters, spring clipssecured to the characters for mounting the characters on said plates,each of said clips including a portion inclined with respect to theplane of character, adapted for surface engagement with a reflectorplate and a resilient finger, the upper margin of the reflector platebeing adapted to be clamped between said inclined portion and resilientfinger whereby the character is secured in angular relation to thereflector plate; and a luminous discharge tube disposed behind the uppermargin of each reflector plate.

RAYMOND L. MARTEN.

